


When paths cross

by Goudlokje



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Action/Adventure, Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, Developing Friendships, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, Male-Female Friendship, Tamriel, Thieves Guild, Traveling, Violence, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-12-12
Packaged: 2019-08-05 06:43:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16362857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goudlokje/pseuds/Goudlokje
Summary: Auzrial Meave is an Imperial Princess who ran away from home to become a mercenary. For years on end she roams the streets of Auridon in order to help the people who have need of her. Everyday is quite the same until she meets a Khajiit who's an assassin of the Dark Brotherhood. She makes a deal with him and what was supposed to be an easy job, turns out to be... not so easy. Together they run to stay out of the hands of Watch Captain Astanya.





	1. The princess and the assassin

Auzrial Meave walks up the stairs, towards the gate of Skywatch as the sun slowly disappears behind the trees. Another day of Auzrial's mercenary life has passed. As she walks through the gates, one of the guards greets her with a beaming smile. "Caught some bad guys again, Princess?"  

She smiles satisfied and high fives the guard. "I sure did!"  

"Enjoy your stay in Skywatch."  

"Thank you." Auzrial salutes with a smile and continues. 

You'd say that as an Imperial Princess, one would be out of place between the High and Wood Elves and the Khajiit. But Auzrial has been roaming the street of Skywatch for years already, she is practically a part of it. The Elves and Khajiit know her and they like her, because she keeps the streets safe and sound. The only difference between her and the guards is that she doesn't always play by the rules. But she doesn't care, and so don't the others. Although Auzrial likes to be a mercenary, she is still a Princess. That's why even though she completes dirty jobs, she still cares about her looks. Her raven black hair is put neatly in the Dominion War-Locks hairstyle and it brushes against her slightly darker tanned skin. She also has a goldish eye color because the blood of a Templar runs through her veins. It really matches her Imperial Rubedo Leather armor.  

Because Skywatch is like a second home to Auzrial Meave, she knows her way around. She knows the guards, she knows the vendors, she knows the people. And every day she sets foot in this small city, everything is the same. The market booms with people and musicians and the air is filled with joy and cheers. But not today, though. Today the people seem... very nervous. Something has changed, and Auzrial doesn't like it. Not one bit. She walks through the streets, right towards the inn where she always stays for the night when she's around. Auzrial's tired and she could really use a drink right now. She looks up at the Elves and Khajiit when she walks past them, but none of them dare to look up longer than necessary.  

When the evening’s cover of darkness falls over Skywatch, the musicians disappear as quickly as possible and the vendor close their stalls immediately. Auzrial frowns deeply, having no idea what is going on. She turns around to look at the place when she suddenly sees something disappearing in the shadows. Auzrial narrows her eyes and stands there for a short moment. She turns around again and continues her walk, but very cautiously this time. She feels that someone is following her. A trouble maker is in town and only now she realizes that this is the reason for the sudden change in the wind. 

Then, she feels someone bumping into her. For such a busy city, it's only normal that people walk into each other for time to time. But Auzrial is a professional in what she does, so she knows the difference between bumping into someone by accident and someone with thieving fingers who runs into you. Auzrial feels someone pulling off her bag of gold from her belt. She turns around quickly and sees him, already standing a few feet away from her. There is a mischievous sparkle in the Khajiit’s bright blue eyes and she sees a red mark running over his face. 

The rest is hidden because of his hood. Auzrial's eyes fall on a mark of the Dark Brotherhood that is shown on his Rubedo Leather medium armor. It would scare the living hell out of people around here, but not out of her though. The thief starts running, and in a blink, he’s gone. Auzrial only sees his tail disappearing into the crowd. She starts running as well, as fast as she can and manages to follow him into a dark alley, only to run into a dead end. Auzrial looks around for any sign of the thief and curses under her breath when she doesn't see him. "Were you looking for this, milksop?" The thieving Khajiit purrs as he holds up her bag of gold. He keeps standing into the shadows, just to add a bit of drama.  

"Yes, and I would like to get it back." Auzrial replies simply. The Khajiit puts away her bag of gold again. Then he crosses his arms and leans against the wall. Because of the dim light that shines down on them, Auzrial can see a glitter in the cat his eyes and the tip of his tail is visible, which flicks back and forth. 

"What is a someone like you doing here? You're not supposed to be here, Auzrial." The Khajiit says. There is a small change in Auzrial's poker face. "That's right." He smiles. "I know who you are, Princess." 

Auzrial pulls up an eyebrow, looking unimpressed. "If you know who I am, then you know I won't back off from a fight. And I  _will_  fight you to get my money back." 

The Khajiit laughs softly at her defiant response and shakes his head in amusement. He takes her bag with money again, grabs a few coins out of it and throws the bag back at her. Auzrial catches it with ease, looks at the bag and then back at him. "I would like to get  _all_ of it back." 

"You have to do something for me first." He replies. 

"And why the hell would I do something for a Brotherhood thug?" Auzrial asks, genuinely disgusted. The Princess hovers her hands over her swords for whenever she needs to use them.  

The Khajiit walks out of the shadow. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."  

"Give me one good reason not to." 

Once again there is that mischievous sparkle in his eyes. "You can earn some coin by helping me." 

"I already earn some coin." 

"More coin." 

Auzrial crosses her arms and looks at him with a bored expression. "I would like to earn my money the  _right_ way, thank you very much." 

The Khajiit sighs and takes another step closer. "Is there really a right way, though?" He asks. "In the end, we are exactly the same." 

Auzrial scoffs offended. "We are not the same." 

"No? I kill and get paid for it, you kill and you get paid for it. I don't really see the difference." He purrs. How much Auzrial hates to admit it, she has to say that he has a point. She lowers her eyes to the ground as she starts thinking. 

For years she worked so hard to become the woman she is today. She abandoned her wealthy noble life to become a mercenary, and she's good. She has a reputation and people respect her. Is she really willing to give up everything she has worked so hard for to earn just a bit more gold? "What exactly do you want me to do?" She asks curiously. 

The Khajiit grins underneath his hood. "All you need to do is bring me to Vulkhel Guard and deliver me to Watch Captain Astanya." Then he holds up a wanted poster as Auzrial pulls up her nose at the Captain's name. "There is a nice bounty on my head." 

"What have you done to get a bounty of twenty-five thousand gold?" Auzrial asks as she studies the poster. 

The cat shrugs and rolls up the poster again as he replies nonchalantly. "Let's just say I pissed off some people." 

"So, I just need to deliver you to Astanya?" Auzrial asks. 

The cat nods. 

“That’s it?” 

"That's it." 

Auzrial narrows her eyes for a second before she shakes her head. "This is way too easy. What's the catch?" 

"There is no catch." He replies. Auzrial doesn't believe a word of what he says, but she knows how to save herself from though situations. She will be able to get out of this one as well. "Meet me outside of Skywatch before dawn. I will be there waiting for you with my mount." The cat continues and steps back into the shadow. "And don't try to double cross me. Believe me when I say you will regret that." 

Auzrial rolls her eyes at that. "I have heard more dangerous threats, you know?" 

"Just be there." He says and turns to leave. 

"Wait!" Auzrial stops him. "What should I call you?" 

"Teflon Don." The Khajiit replies simply and, in a blink, he's gone. Auzrial stands there in complete silence as she's trying to understand what she just got herself into. She just put everything at risk for a bit more gold. How stupid could she be?  

Time passes and only when a guard holds up his lantern to get a better look at her face, Auzrial realizes she is still in that alley. "Princess Auzrial, are you alright?" The guard asks and she nods. He tells her it's not safe for ladies to roam the streets at night and offers to walk her to the inn. Auzrial wants to tell him that she can handle herself and that she doesn't need someone to protect her but she is too exhausted. When they reach the inn, she thanks the guard and heads inside. She pays the innkeeper without saying another word and heads straight to bed.  

Auzrial kicks off her boots and lays down. She is too tired to even bother to get changed. The dim moonlight lights up the room as she's still thinking about what happened in that alley before she falls asleep.  

...

It's a few hours before dawn and Auzrial is already waking up slowly. When she opens her eyes, she sees a small pile of coins and a note on the nightstand next to the bed. She rubs her eyes tiredly and reads the note.  _A small sign of trust. -T.D._  It says. Auzrial looks at the window and sees that it has been opened by a few inches. First, she curses under her breath, she should have checked the locks on the window before she went to bed. But then when she looks back at the note again, she sighs and shakes her head with a small smile. The Imperial puts the coins in her pocket and starts to get ready. She combs her hair and puts it back into the Dominion War-Locks style. Then she puts on her boots, grabs her bag and heads out of the room. The innkeeper looks up from his work and shoots her a friendly smile when he sees her. 

Auzrial buys some bread and fruit for her journey and heads for the stables where she left her lion mount a few days earlier. "Goodmorning, Aslan." She whispers softly as she kneels down next to him and pets his head lovingly. Aslan wakes up from his sleep and roars at the sight of her. He jumps on his feet enthusiastically and starts cuddling her. Auzrial falls on her back as he licks her face, she laughs softly and buries her hands in his manes.  

"I missed you too." Auzrial says. "We need to go, come on." She grabs Aslan's reins and walks out. It is still dark outside so Auzrial has plenty enough time to meet up with Teflon Don. As the Imperial walks out of the gates, she gives Aslan some meat and bites in her apple. 

"Good morning, Princess." Teflon says as he stands next to her in a blink. Auzrial yelps and turns to face him angrily. She punches his arm. "Will you not!" Teflon rubs his arm to douse the pain and creases his brow in confusion. "What was that for?" 

"Don't scare me like that." Auzrial replies, still annoyed. 

"I was only saying good morning." The Khajiit says, still rubbing his arm. 

The Princess gives him a look, but then her expression softens. "Good morning." She says and follows Teflon to a place where he left his wolf mount and grabs a strong rope out of his bag. 

"Tie me up." He says and hands her the rope. 

Auzrial does as he says. She is concentrating on what she's doing until she catches Teflon looking at her. She looks up at him and their eyes meet. And now that he is standing so close, she can get a closer look. Because of his hood and the black veil that covers his entire face, with exception of his eyes, their brightness almost blinds her. She wants to look away quickly, but the red mark that runs over the middle of his face gets her attention. Auzrial wants to ask what it's for but then she remembers she's dealing with one of the Dark Brotherhood, there is no room for small talk. Once she gets her money, the job will be over and they will part, she will never have to see him again. 

Auzrial ties Teflon's hands together with one last knot and tightens it extra hard just for good measure. "So, what's your plan." She asks. 

Teflon's wolf lowers to the ground so he can mount it. Auzrial mounts Aslan as well as she listens to what he has to say. "You will deliver me to Watch Captain Astanya and accept the bounty. All I need you to do then is wait for me outside of Vulkhel Guard until I return." 

Auzrial raises a brow but she doesn't bother to question it any further. "Fine." Then she looks at the road ahead of her. "The road to Vulkhel Guard is long, are you ready to go?" 

"I was born ready." Teflon replies. 

The Imperial rolls her eyes and the Khajiit smirks satisfied. Their journey to Vulkhel Guard goes smoothly, and Auzrial is enjoying the scenery. She has always liked Auridon for the perfect green grass and the swaying trees. Every time she feels like she stranded right into a fairytale. As they're passing Mathiisen, Teflon looks at the lady who's riding a few steps ahead of him. As someone who lives his days in the shadows, you get to know a lot about people. That's how he knows that Auzrial's the daughter of the King and Queen of the Imperial City. However, he could never figure out why she left such a wealthy life behind or how she became a mercenary. Well, there is only one way to find out. "So." Teflon says when he has had enough of the silence. “Princess Auzrial Meave, eh?"  

Auzrial doesn't even look over her shoulder when she tells him to shut up. He knows she doesn't like him, but he doesn't mind. He rather enjoys whatever you call the relationship between them. "Why did you leave?" He asks next, but she ignores him. He scoffs softly. "You're a tough one, aren't you?" He says, trying to keep the conversation going. Not like you can call it like that because he's the only one talking. But this time, Auzrial looks over her shoulder to give him a cold glare. "Aha!" The Khajiit cheers. "I finally got your attention." Teflon says as he almost falls off his mount because of the enthusiasm. Auzrial tries to suppresses a smile but Teflon already noticed it. He gasps dramatically. "Was that a smile?" 

Auzrial still tries to hide it. "What? No." But then she quickly looks back in front of her when she can't hide her smile anymore. 

"You're definitely smiling right now."  

The noble shakes her head, but yes, she's definitely smiling. But her expression changes quickly when she sees the wayshrine of Vulkhel Guard in the distance. Auzrial stops and takes a deep breath before looking at Teflon. "We're almost there." She says. 

Teflon Don nods. "Follow the instruction I told you and everything will be fine." He replies. "Just..." He pets his wolf's head softly. "Just take good care of Nanook while I'm gone." The Princess nods and sees how Nanook and Aslan sniff at each other's noses.  

Then, Auzrial cues Aslan to continue walking. Auzrial is a master at keeping a straight face, so, when they arrive at Vulkhel Guard and the guards look up at them, she can keep up the act. She only hopes that Teflon can do the same. Unnoticeably she sighs in relief when they walk through the inner courtyard without any trouble. They proceed to walk past the wayshrine to walk towards the second inner courtyard where she will find Astanya to deliver Teflon to. Auzrial squeezes her hand around Aslan's reins as her heart is about to jump out of her chest when another pair of guards stop them. "What's this?" One of them asks and looks at Teflon's tied up hands. 

"No need to worry, sir." She replies. "I'm Princess Auzrial Meave from the Imperial City. I'm only here to deliver this crook to Captain Astanya." 

The guard his eyes widen when he hears her name. He bows his head and steps aside so they can move on. "Of course, Your Majesty." Auzrial throws Teflon her best smug grin and she flicks her hair when she looks back in front of her. This is only one of the many privileges her name and title can give. Then she straightens her back and holds her head high as they continue. 

This time the Khajiit is the one who rolls his eyes. After a short moment they approach the Watch Captain. The High Elf crosses her arms when she sees Auzrial. "Caught another thug again, I see." She says bluntly. 

"Of course, I did." Auzrial replies without hesitation. The she holds up the wanted poster. "Can I get my money now, please?" 

Captain Astanya sighs and motions at a guard to pay her. "You're costing us a lot of money, Meave." She replies and hands her the money. 

"It wouldn't be that way if you just did your job better." Auzrial smiles. 

"You know there are so many—"  

"—many visitors, but so little time. I know." Auzrial says bored, cutting off Astanya mid-sentence. 

Astanya casts an icy glare in her direction. "Just give me the damn prisoner, Meave."  

Nanook lowers to the ground so Teflon can dismount. Auzrial gabs the wolf's reins as well and turns around to leave. "Do with him whatever you want." She says without looking back. But when she hears the clattering of armor and a distant shout, Auzrial can't help but to take a quick look.  

That's when she sees how the guards handle Teflon roughly. A guard pushes him forward harshly, causing him to fall on his knees. There is another shout and Auzrial cringes and grabs her stomach when she sees how the guard punches Teflon in his stomach. 

The Imperial grits her teeth angrily. Somehow there is a part of her that wants her to interrupt and curse the guards for handling him that way, but then she would blow their cover. The Khajiit looks back as well, their eyes meet for a brief moment before they push him inside a building.

 


	2. A mission gone wrong

Auzrial Meave is standing outside the walls of Vulkhel Guard as she's waiting for Teflon Don. It's already late and she's getting bored. The Princess leans against Aslan who is laying down on the ground, she looks up at Nanook who's eagerly waiting for his master to return. 

Another hour passes without any sign of Teflon and although Auzrial doesn't want to admit it, she is getting worried. Aslan has already fallen asleep, but Nanook is still wide awake. Auzrial gets up and walks towards the wolf, he looks at her and howls softly. "Don't worry." She says with a soothing voice and scratches him behind his ear. "He will be here soon."

And right at that moment, she sees something moving in the distance. Nanook perks his ears in alarm but then they see it's Teflon Don. When he reaches them, he jumps on Nanook’s back and gets the hell out of there. "Follow me!" He demands.

Auzrial has no idea what's going on, but then she hears distant shouting of guards. "Aslan, let's go!" She says and follows Teflon to where ever he is running. The Khajiit leads them off of the main road and runs through the woods until they reach a well-hidden cave somewhere around Glister Vale.

"We need to stay here for the night." Teflon says, a little out of breath.

Auzrial gets off Aslan and looks around for any sign of a guard that might have followed them. Then she turns at him angrily. "As someone from the Dark Brotherhood I expected you to sneak out quietly. What the hell happened?"

As Teflon dismounts Nanook as well, he winces softly and only now she sees that he is injured. "It was a trap." He says softly. 

"What?"

"They imprisoned my mentor, I needed to get in prison as well the get him out of there. But when I reached him, he..." Teflon Don has a look as if in a daze. "He’s dead." He takes a deep breath and looks up at Auzrial. "I had to fight my way out. I couldn't escape without being noticed, I'm sorry, Princess." 

Auzrial's angered expression softens slowly, she almost looks at him with pity. Then she points to a log on the ground as sign that he has to sit down on it. Teflon does what she says without complaining, he's even glad he can sit down for a moment without having to look over his shoulder for once. 

Auzrial loosens her bag from Aslan's belt and grabs a bottle of water and a few healing herbs out of it to make a salve that will help healing his wounds. Then, she kneels down next to the Khajiit and wants to take off his hood, but he backs away. The Imperial wants to get angry with him again because she's only trying to help, but she figures that a scolding is the last thing he needs right now.

"It's okay." She says softly to him.

Teflon lowers his eyes to the ground as he lets her take off his hood. Auzrial acts carefully, and she truly has no idea what to expect, but she's still a bit surprised when she finally sees his face clearly. Teflon Don has a darker brown fur that has a mainly spotted pattern with two vertical stripes above his eyes and two stripes that follow the line of his eyes and arc down to his chin. The area around his mouth is white and he has long black dreads. 

Then she looks at the cut above his right eyebrow. She dips a piece of cloth in the salve and warns him that it might sting a bit. Auzrial dabs his wound carefully and in complete silence as Teflon watches her closely. 

"I'm sorry for what happened to your mentor." Auzrial says after some time without looking up from her work.

There is another short moment of silence before he replies. "If I only arrived a moment sooner, he wouldn't—he wouldn't be..." Teflon growls in frustration and stands up abruptly. Auzrial studies him as he starts pacing around, and judging by how he's acting, she can tell his mentor must mean a lot to him. 

"You know this isn't your fault, right?" Auzrial says.

"Then who's fault is it?" Teflon snaps back as he looks at her angrily.

"I don't know—"

"Right, you don't know anything!" Teflon replies, raising his voice in frustration. "You don't know anything about me and you know even less about the Brotherhood! I know you disliked me from the beginning, so don't act like you care now!"

Auzrial looks at him, she's hurt though, but she hides the pain under an angered expression. "Well, don't try to be too shocked, but even I can be nice for once!" She replies, shaking from anger. Then she throws the cloth on the ground and turns on her heel. "And for the record, I do care..."

"Princess, wait." Teflon says but Auzrial has already disappeared behind the trees before he got the chance to apologize. Teflon rubs his face tiredly and sinks down on the log. He picks up the cloth she threw on the ground and looks at the blood stains. She  _was_  trying to be nice, and he snapped at her. Teflon sighs deeply and rest his chin on his hand. 

Time passes and Auzrial returns with a pile of branches in hand. She walks past Teflon, straight into the cave where they're going to spend the night and starts a fire. As a Templar starting a fire is pretty easy. She extends her hand to the branches and uses Vampire's Bane. A ball of fire shoots from her hand and this way she lights the fire. 

Teflon's watching her the whole time. This way he can see by the way how Auzrial’s eyebrows are pulled up, she’s still angry. It takes another short moment to make some place for them to sleep, and once she’s all set, Auzrial joins Teflon again who still sits down on the log.

Auzrial still doesn’t say a word to him when she takes the cloth out of his hands and continues treating the wound. She's might be pressing on his wounds a bit harder than earlier, but he figures he kind of deserves it. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you like that.” Teflon says eventually.

“No, you shouldn’t have.” Auzrial replies.

“And I’m sorry for that.” 

Auzrial stops and rests her hands on her lap, she sighs softly and sags her shoulders. “I  _know_  what it’s like to lose someone close to you, believe me.” Then she looks up at him. “I would probably have reacted the same way as you. Maybe worse. So, there is no need to apologize.” 

“I wouldn’t doubt that for one bit.” Teflon says. 

Auzrial punches his arm playfully and shakes her head with a smile. “You’re smiling again.” Teflon remarks, his face lighting up a little, but the Princess ignores it and continues dabbing at his wounds until she’s finally finished with the injuries on his head. Teflon thanks her and takes a coin out of his pocket. It's a golden coin with the handprint of the Dark Brotherhood on it. “I want you to have this.” He says. Auzrial accepts it and looks at it, turning it over in her hand. “There are strange things going on in the Brotherhood. Things that even I can’t comprehend... but this should keep you out of trouble if you ever run into one.” Teflon adds.

“These strange things...” Auzrial says. “Does it have something to do with your mentor?” 

 “I hope not. But it is possible.” Teflon replies ruefully.

“Do you... want to talk about it?” Auzrial asks.

Teflon Don shakes his head. “No, this is nothing that concerns you, Princess. And I’m already telling you too much as it is. The less you know, the better. I don’t want you to get hurt because of it.” 

Auzrial looks Teflon in the eyes for a long moment, but then she looks away to take another piece of cloth out of her bag. With this one she cleans a deep cut on the upper part of his arm and wraps it around his arm to stop the bleeding. 

The Imperial sighs softly as she replays this evening over and over in her head. She really hopes with all her heart that Captain Astanya didn’t see them escape together. If she did, all these years of hard work and her respectable reputation will be gone for good and the hunter will become the hunted. 

After Auzrial cleaned up the mess she made to make the healing salve, she joins Teflon Don in the cave and sits down at the fire to warm up a bit for the nights in Auridon can be really cold. Then she takes her bag again and pulls out some bread. She tears of a piece and hands it to Teflon.

Auzrial bites off a piece of bread and she looks into the fire, both of them eat their meal in silence. But after some time, the Imperial looks up at Teflon and asks how he feels. Teflon looks up at Auzrial as well. “I’m already feeling better, thanks to you Princess.” Then he pauses for a moment before he continues cautiously. “So, what is your story?”

“I thought you said you knew me, so why are you asking?” Auzrial asks. 

“Yes, I know  _you_  but not your  _story_.” Teflon replies. “I know you left your wealth and became a mercenary, but I don’t know what happened to cause you to leave.” Auzrial pulls up her knees, wraps her arms around her legs and rests her head on her knees, but she doesn’t reply. Teflon want to ask more about it, but this can go both ways. If he’s lucky, she will just reply or she tells him to shut up. If he’s not so lucky, well... he doesn’t want to think about what might happen. Teflon’s going to ask his question either way. “Do you think you will ever go back home?”

Teflon holds his breath and bares himself for an incoming punch on his arm, only... there is no punch. “I don’t know.” Auzrial replies against all odds. “I’ve been on the road for so long already I don’t even know if I can call the Imperial City my home. I don’t know if I even have a home anymore.”

Auzrial sighs hard. Why is she telling him this? She doesn’t have to tell him anything, and she doesn’t really want to because he’s still an assassin from the Dark Brotherhood and she might be in trouble because of him. But whatever.

“My parents love their riches and their power. They might love it even more than they love me.” She says after a while. “That’s why they searched for a rich suitor to marry me so they could expand their power and riches. I was only nineteen years old when they told me I was going to marry. I was way too young and adventurous to get married already.” Auzrial chuckles humorlessly. “I didn’t even like the guy... I told my parents I didn’t want to get married but they wouldn’t listen. They didn’t care about me or how I felt. All they care about is themselves and the amount of gold in the vaults. So, the only way to get out of the marriage was to run. So, I ran.” Auzrial stares into the fire again. “I haven’t seen them ever since.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Teflon says. “It must have been hard for you to make such a decision.” 

Auzrial shrugs. “Not really. I was too angry to feel bad about it. I still don’t feel bad about it, though. I mean, I have never been so free in my entire life and I like to be a mercenary. But...”

“But?” 

“Sometimes I ask myself if I made the right decision.”

“I think you have.” Teflon replies and Auzrial looks up at him. Teflon can see the flames reflect in the glint of tears in Auzrial’s eyes. The Khajiit shuffles a bit closer, the hairs of his fur tickle Auzrial’s arm. “It’s like you said, you’ve never felt so free before. You're a full-grown woman with a respectable reputation. People know you, and people like you. You might be one of the best mercenaries Tamriel has ever known. You’re fearless, brave and smart. You chose this life over a life where you’d be married against your will. So, yes. I would say you made the right decision, Princess.”

Auzrial frowns, she’s lost in thought as she’s processing everything Teflon just said. “I know you’re a though one, and you wouldn’t be afraid of picking a fight, but I think as long as you don’t let go of your guilt about leaving your parents, you will never be truly free.”

“Who says I’m feeling guilty about it?” Auzrial asks with her brows knit in anger.

Teflon points at her face. “There are literally tears rolling down your face. That must mean something, don’t you think?” 

Auzrial hastily wipes away the tears and punches Teflon’s arm. There it is. He was wondering how long it was going to take until he was going to get punched. Then he throws some more wood on the fire and looks down at the Imperial next to him. “It’s getting late. You should try to get some sleep now. I’ll keep watch, there might be still guards around.”

Auzrial nods and blinks tiredly. She grabs her bag and uses it as a pillow as she lays down. Slowly she falls asleep as Teflon sits down at the entrance of the cave and looks up at the starry sky. Hours pass before he goes back in to check on Auzrial. He sees her trembling and lays a blanket over her before he goes back to his post and falls asleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading my work! Let me know what you think of it ^_^


	3. Phaer

The first sunrays of the day shine down on Auzrial’s face, the warmth of it wakes her up. She opens her eyes slowly and sees that Teflon’s sound asleep at the entrance. She gets up and now she’s the one who lays down the blanket over the Khajiit. Then, she exits the cave carefully in order not to wake him up and leaves in search of herbs to make some stew.Aslan growls softly when he sees Auzrial. The Imperial caresses his manes and gives a kiss on the lion’s nose before she heads off. Auzrial walks straight to the river to collect some water and later on she finds the herbs she was looking for. 

Sometime later, Teflon Don wakes up because of the delicious smell of the stew that fills the cave. Auzrial greets him with a smile, causing Teflon to look at her with a terrified expression. “What’s wrong?” Auzrial asks as she’s growing anxious because of the look he gives her.

Quickly he crawls towards her and with the back of his hand he touches her forehead. “Are you sick?”

“What? No. Why?” She asks as she touches her forehead as well.

A smile crosses Teflon’s face. “You smiled genuinely at me.”

Auzrial stays quiet for a moment until she realizes what just happened. “Teflon!” She growls and pushes him over. Then she starts laughing, relieved that he was only joking and nothing serious was going on. “You scared the hell out of me.” She says through giggles.

Teflon’s still lying down on his back as he’s watching her laugh. Something in the way her eyes light up like that and in the way her shoulders move while giggling, stirs something inside and he can’t help but laugh as well. “I’m so sorry.”

“Screw you.” Auzrial replies, still smiling. “Here.” She says next and hands him a bowl of stew. “To strengthen up a bit.”

“Did you sleep well?” Teflon asks as he accepts the bowl and sits down next to her. 

“Yes, I did.” She replies. “And thank you for the blanket, by the way.”

It doesn’t take long before they finish the food. Auzrial gets up and Teflon follows her out of the cave so she can treat his injuries again. First, she disinfects his wounds with her self-made salve and wraps it up with a proper piece of cloth again. The sun shines through the trees on his fur, that’s when she sees several scars all across his arms and chest. Once again, she wants to mention it, but she decides to leave it. Teflon watches her as she’s treating his wounds. “How hard are you going to punch me this time once I ask you something about your parents?”

Auzrial stops for a second when he mentions them, but then she continues again. “Why? Are you eager to get punched again?” 

Teflon laughs softly and he shakes his head. “Not exactly.” He replies and turns more serious. “I’m just saying, you helped me by delivering me to Captain Astanya. I still owe you for that. So, let me help you with your parents in return.” 

Auzrial doesn’t respond to that, but Teflon can see a small nod of her head which will be all he’s going to get from her. The Imperial wraps up the last cloth and she studies her good work before she nods satisfied. Then she looks up, the sun’s already high in the sky. “I think it’s time to move on before the guards will find us here.”

Teflon agrees and gets back on his feet. Quickly he scouts the area to see if there is anyone around. Once there is no one to be found, he nods and motions at her to come over. “It might be better to part ways for a while. Where do we meet again?” He asks.

Auzrial thinks for a moment and takes a map out of her bag. She runs a finger over the road they followed to get to this cave. “We’re somewhere around Glister Vale now. Hmm.” She taps her chin as she’s thinking. “Let’s meet up at Phaer. And since the guards are certainly looking for you right now, it might be better you follow the road that goes the long way around while I’ll take the main road. When you’re almost there, you follow the river and meet me at the barn.” 

The both of them mount their pets and are ready to leave. “See you later.” Teflon says with a smile and puts on his hood before he leaves. Auzrial looks at him until he’s out of sight. She shakes her head, but she’s smiling. Then she leaves as well. 

The road to Phaer goes smoothly and very peacefully because of the singing birds and the sun that shines through the trees. A soft wind rustles through her hair as she arrives an hour later at Phaer. She walks Aslan to the stables to leave him there to rest and walks around the village to ask the people if there is any place to spare for them.It takes a while, but eventually Teflon arrives at the village too. He notices that Auzrial’s already there because he sees Aslan in the stables. Nanook wags his tail as Teflon leaves him with Aslan. “Over here!” Auzrial shouts to him from the other side of the square as she sees him.  “I was already looking for a place to sleep.” She says to him.

“Did you find anything yet?” Teflon asks.

“Yes. I helped this place once when there was a plague going on. These High Elves are in my debt.” She smiles. “Come on.” Auzrial guides Teflon Don to the barn where they will stay for the night. He follows her closely as he tries to make himself as invisible as possible.

The owner of the barn shows them their room with a broad smile. “If there is something else I can do for you, just shout.” The Elf says and leaves.

Teflon blinks a few times and looks at Auzrial. “Well, she’s more than willing to help. You must have really helped them out.” 

“Yeah.” Auzrial says proudly and she looks at the beds. There is one legit bed and at the other side of the room there is only a matrass. “You get the bed.” She says to Teflon. “You still need to heal. A good night rest will help you with that.”

“Are you sure?” He asks and arcs his eyebrow. Auzrial nods in return and then he shrugs. “Alright. I’m going to check on the mounts first.” 

Auzrial heads out of the room too and goes to the owner of the barn to catch up with her. Teflon is feeding Aslan and Nanook as he sees the High Elf and the Imperial walk around as their chatting. Auzrial looks at peace for once and that makes him smile. He knows that he got her in trouble with asking her for help, but she’s still around even though she has every reason to leave. And it seems that Aslan and Nanook have found each other as well, they really seem to get along. Teflon looks up at Auzrial one more time before he heads back inside. A few minutes later Auzrial enters their rented room as well and she’s holding two bowls with a traditional High Elf dinner. “This was the best she got.” Auzrial says and hands Teflon a bowl.

Teflon’s face lights up as he sees the delicious food in front of him and he starts to dig in immediately. They sit in silence for a while until Auzrial clears her throat and puts down her spoon. “Is everything alright?” Teflon asks with his mouth stuffed with food.

“Yeah, it’s just... You know Astanya won’t stop looking until she found you, right?”

“I’m well aware of that, yes.” Teflon replies simply and puts another spoonful of stew in his mouth. 

“And you know how bad things will get, well, for  _me_  if she sees us together.” Auzrial continues, and this time, Teflon looks up from his stew to Auzrial. “After today, it might be best for us to walk different paths.”

Now, Teflon puts down his spoon as well and he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He locks eyes with her for a moment but then the corner of his mouth goes up a little. “You know I will do everything to keep you out of trouble, Princess.” 

Auzrial rolls her eyes and wants to say more, but she gets distracted by the commotion outside. Her head snaps up at Teflon before she rushes towards the window. The Princess curses under her breath as she sees Captain Astanya approaching on a horse with two flanked by two guards. The Imperial runs to the Khajiit, grabs his hand and pulls him out of the room, they hurry towards the stables. They can’t ride out without being noticed so Auzrial looks around for any place where Teflon can hide until her eyes fall on a dark corner in the ceiling. “How good of a climber are you?” Teflon smirks at her right before he jumps at the wooden walls of the stable and uses his claws to climb up while Auzrial ushers Nanook to hide under a big pile of straw. 

Watch Captain Astanya enters the stables and sees how Auzrial’s combing Aslan’s manes. “Look who’s here.” Astanya says in a tone of voice most opposite to joyful.

Auzrial tries to be as surprised as possible, she arcs her brow. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Vulkhel Guard?”

Astanya cast an icy glare in her direction. “Yes, normally I would be. But a prisoner escaped.” Auzrial swallows hard and she tries to keep a straight face as Astanya comes a few steps closer. “It was  _your_  prisoner who escaped.”

Auzrial looks at Astanya with an angered expression. “Wait, what? Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to catch him? And you let him escape?” 

A shadow falls over the Captain’s face, but she recovers quickly. “I know he had some help.” She says.

Auzrial combs Aslan’s manes again. “Good for you. That way you’re one step closer to arresting him again.”

There is a grin on Astanya’s face that sends a shiver down Auzrial’s spine. “Oh, believe me, he won’t be the only one who’s going to get arrested once I got him by his tail.”

“Good.” The Imperial says unnervingly.

The Watch Captain sighs and looks around with a bored expression. “There are rumors that say he was spotted here around Phaer.” She says. Auzrial’s heart is about to jump out of her chest. “But let me guess,” the Elf continues. “You haven’t seen him.

Auzrial shakes her head. “Nope.” She replies and smiles. “How big is the bounty? I’ll go after him again if the bounty is big enough.” Astanya doesn’t reply on that. Auzrial pets Aslan’s nose and continues. “This is an easy way to earn some gold, though. I deliver a prisoner to you and I get paid for it. You let him escape, I go after him again and I get paid even more.” The Imperial can see that Astanya’s Elven blood is boiling and that amuses her greatly. 

The Captain gives her a stern look before she leaves the stables. “Just deliver him to me when you happen to run into him.”

“I will.” Auzrial winks and salutes after her. Only when Astanya and her men leave and are out of sight, Auzrial dares to breathe again. Quickly she runs out of the stables, looks around to make sure the guards are gone and comes back. “You can come down now, it’s safe.” 

Teflon jumps down and joins her. “Well, she clearly wasn’t happy.”

Auzrial puts her hands on her hips, a nervous laugh escapes her mouth. “No, she wasn’t.” She replies and looks at Teflon. “I just hope I managed to shake her off.”

“Believe me, she will be gone for a while. We’ll be alright.” He pauses for a moment and rubs the back of his neck. “And thank you. Once again I am in your debt.”

“Don’t worry.” Auzrial replies and waves with her hand. “This is the most exciting thing I've done in quite some time. I had no idea I missed the excitement so much.” Then she crosses her arms and pulls up her eyebrows as she smiles weakly. “I don’t think we have the time to stay here for the night.”

“No, we don’t.” Teflon sighs.

“Do you know where to go?” Auzrial asks.

“Probably Hews Bane. I got to stay low for some time.” He replies.

“Sounds like a plan.”

“How about you?”

“I’m going to do what I can do best.” Auzrial replies. “I’m going to catch some crooks again.”

“I’ll pray for the ones who cross your path.” Teflon says.

Auzrial laughs heartily. There it is again, that glint in her eyes and the shaking of her shoulders. He really likes the sound of her laugh, though, and he surely hopes this won’t be the last time he hears it. Teflon smiles. “You’re growing weak on me, Princess.”

“Oh, shut up.” Auzrial replies and punches his arm.

“I’m sure we’ll meet again.” Teflon says as he rubs his arm.

“I hope so.” Auzrial smiles. Then she extends her hand. Teflon looks at it in confusion but then he remembers he has to shake it. No Tails can have such weird customs at times. But still, he shakes her hand. 

“Travel safely.” Auzrial says next. “And stay out of Astanya’s cold hands.”

“I will do my best.” Teflon replies and jumps on Nanooks back. He walks out of the stables but he turns to look at her one last time before he leaves. “You know where to find me when you have need of me.”

“You bet I do.” Auzrial winks with a smile and waves him goodbye as he disappears into the woods.


	4. Dance the night away

A few weeks have passed after Auzrial said goodbye to Teflon Don, as she’s walking into Mathiisen. It’s still early but the place is already booming with Elves and Khajiit. While Auzrial is looking around at the market, she gets the feeling that she’s being followed.While she continues cautiously, she pulls her bag of gold to the front of her belt and puts an extra knot in the rope. Then she turns left, right into a small, less crowded, almost empty alley. There she hides behind the corner, and when she sees her follower walking past her, she tackles him! They roll over several times, Auzrial lands on top of him when they come to a stop.

The Imperial smiles brightly when she sees Teflon Don’s startled expression. “Hi.” She says simply. “Still not caught, I see.”

“No, I only let myself get captured by you, Princess.” Teflon replies and winks playfully.

“How big is the bounty?” Auzrial asks. “Then I know if I it's worth it to turn you in or not.”

Teflon smiles in return. “You won’t believe me if I told you.” Auzrial shrugs, she gets back on her feet and helps Teflon up as well.  

“And what have you been doing these few weeks?” He asks.

 “You know me, just cruising around. What about you?” 

The Khajiit guides Auzrial to the local inn where they talk in private while having a drink and something to eat.  As they sit down, Teflon tells her that he’s been thinking of a way to help her. “Oh?” Auzrial says, genuinely surprised. “And?”

“I'm not sure. All I know is that your parents are looking for you, but I can’t say the same for the suitor you were supposed to marry.”

Auzrial rolls her eyes. “Of course not.” She replies. “I bet he’s already married to another rich noble lady—” She stops abruptly and frowns deeply. “You have been investigating.” 

Teflon smiles. “Yes, after the conversation we had, I had to. And also, yes, the suitor will marry someone else. But still, your parents are looking for you.”

“After all those years...” Auzrial says softly, almost whispering. She lowers her head as she thinks of her parents. It would be really nice to see them again, though. But... “I have no idea how they will react.” Or how  _she_  will react.

Teflon looks at Auzrial with determination. “Well, there is only one way to find out.” He replies. “Or you can send them a letter to let them know that you’re alright.” Teflon pauses for a moment, watching Auzrial’s uncertain expression closely. “I can deliver it to them if you want.” 

Auzrial bites her lower lip, and after a short moment she nods. “I’ll start with the letter first. That way I will have plenty enough time to think if I really want to see them again or not.” Then she looks up at him and smiles weakly. “Thank you for wanting to do this for me.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Teflon replies. “Who do you want me to give the letter to? Or should I leave it somewhere?”

“I don’t know how my parents will react if they see someone of the Dark Brotherhood standing in front of them, I think it might be better to leave it somewhere.” 

Teflon nods comprehensively. “I will leave the letter in their bedroom, then. That way we’ll be sure they’ll find it.” Now Auzrial is the one who nods. “Good.” He says next. “I will stay here until you have written that letter.” Then he asks if she already has a place to sleep.

Auzrial looks around. “I just got here, actually. I didn’t have the time to look for something.”

Teflon clicks his tongue and shakes his head. “Oh, Auzrial, what would you do without me. Lucky for you, I already have rented a room here. We could share it, if want to?”

“Oh!” She replies enthusiastically. “Yeah, sure.” 

Auzrial and Teflon chat the hours away, and as evening falls, Teflon gets up to order some food and comes back with two platters of homemade stew and some bread. Right before Auzrial starts to dig in, she reaches for her bag of gold and takes a few coins out of it, she gives them to Teflon.

“What are you doing?” Teflon asks.

“It’s for the food and the bed.” Auzrial replies.

“No need. This is on me.” The Khajiit says and short thereafter, the innkeeper arrives with two glasses of wine.

Auzrial takes her glass and holds it up as if making a toast. “To Captain Astanya who will never be able to capture us.” She smiles.

Teflon Don holds up his glass as well. “That milksop will never get us.” 

They share a laugh and finish their food. Auzrial leans back in her chair and sighs deeply before she says she enjoyed the meal. While they’re digesting, they talk about random stuff until Teflon asks if she knows how to dance.

Auzrial chuckles. “I’m a Princess and my parents are known for their famous balls. Every time they threw a ball, my father insisted we started the night with a dance.” She looks up at Teflon. “Of course, I know how to dance.”

“Good.” Teflon Don replies and grabs her hand. He pulls her out of the chair and guides her to the corner of the room where some High Elves are playing music. He wraps his arm around her waist and with his other hand he holds hers. They start to dance.

Auzrial smiles as she lets him lead her. “You’re good.” She says, genuinely surprised. 

“You didn’t see that one coming, eh.” He replies. 

“No, I didn’t.” Auzrial says and looks him in the eyes. “This is also the first time I’m dancing with a Khajiit.”

 “Oh really?” He asks and then he twirls her around, pulls her back in position and continues dancing. “Won’t be the last time either.”

Auzrial shakes her head, but she smiles. “Well, you are surprisingly confident about that.”

“Why shouldn’t I be, Princess?” Teflon asks in return.

A small smile crosses Auzrial’s lips. It’s already past midnight and Auzrial and Teflon are still dancing the night away. They’re exhausted and have had clearly too much wine. Auzrial giggles as she throws herself into the chair near the fire place.

Teflon sits down in the chair in front of her and hands her another glass of wine. He holds up his glass again. “To this wonderful evening.” He says. Auzrial smiles as she holds up her glass as well and cheers. Another hour passes and Teflon gets up to pay the bill. When he comes back, he asks if Auzrial’s ready for bed. 

“You bet I am.” Auzrial replies tiredly. She gets up on her feet and follows the Khajiit to their room. He opens the door and steps aside so the Imperial can enter. She frowns deeply. “You told me to share a room, not a  _bed.”_ She says to him, but then she shrugs and throws herself on the bed. She's too exhausted to complain even more. 

Auzrial sinks in her pillow and smiles tiredly. “This is exactly what I need right now.” She says pleased. Teflon Don blows out the candles and walks towards bed. He wants to get in, but then there is a dull thud. The drunken Khajiit fell next to bed and starts laughing.

Auzrial snaps right up because of the sounds and looks at him. She blinks a few times before she too starts laughing. “Okay, you clearly had enough of that wine for the rest of the year.” She says through giggles. 

“Oh, and you haven’t?” Teflon replies and pulls at the blanket on which the Imperial sits. Because of him, she rolls out of bed and falls down next to him. Teflon’s laughing even harder now. 

“Hey!” She says, punching him playfully as she starts laughing as well. When she’s done giggling she turns to look at him and smiles. “I really enjoyed myself this evening.” 

“Yeah, me too. It’s been a long time since I had this much fun.” He replies and jumps back on his feet, he helps Auzrial up as well. 

“I’m glad to hear that.” She says and wipes off the dust from her armor. She walks over to the small mirror on the wall and frees her hair from the Dominion War-Locks style. Her raven black hair falls over her shoulder like a waterfall. Then she grabs a comb from her bag and starts combing her hair.

In the meantime, Teflon Don removed his armor and he lays down in bed as he watches her. The light of the stars shines down on her wavy hair, changing her normal black hair color into a beautiful display of white and silver. It's like he’s looking at an angel. A deadly angel, that is. Auzrial disappears behind a wooden folding screen and when she comes back, she’s out of armor and wears a beautiful nightgown. The Khajiit blinks a few times, surprised by the sight of her. “Well, you look...  _different.”_

Auzrial arcs her brows quizzically as she lays down in bed. “Different?”

“Yeah, I mean, with your armor on your all... business. Now your just  _different_.” 

“Well, I hope you like what you see.” Auzrial replies with a playful grin and turns to her side, her back turning his way and slowly they fall asleep.


	5. A change of clothes

The next morning, when Teflon Don opens his eyes, he sees that Auzrial is already in full armor again. She’s putting her hair back in the Dominion War-Locks, and uses the mirror to look at him. “Good morning.” She says once she sees that he’s awake. 

“Good morning, Princess.” Teflon replies with a sleepy voice. “You’re up early. Did you sleep well?” 

“Evil in Tamriel doesn’t wait for me to sleep in.” Auzrial says and winks. “But yes, I slept like a baby. Did you sleep well?” 

“Evil in Tamriel doesn’t wait for good-doers to sleep in.” Teflon replies and he smiles as he sees the Imperial rolling her eyes. He gets out of bed and makes himself ready as Auzrial catches his attention. 

“I’m going to write the letter to my parents today.” 

“Oh?” Teflon says with a smile. “Do you know what you’re going to say in that letter?” 

“I’ve been thinking, yes.” She replies. “But I’m not entirely sure.” 

“Take all the time you need.” He says. “I will get us breakfast in the meantime.” Then he heads out and once the door is closed, Auzrial grabs a quill and a piece of parchment. She takes a deep breath, gathering all the courage she needs to start writing. 

Auzrial’s been thinking about this moment for a very long time now, and first she thought that it would be very hard for her to write such a letter, but once the quill touches the parchment, words fill the parchment easily. When Teflon returns, Auzrial’s sealing the envelope with the small crest of her family on her ring. “Here.” She says and hands him the letter. 

“Thank you.” He replies and puts the letter in his pocket and lays down everything he could get his hands on for breakfast. There are several different kinds of fruit and some bread. Teflon sits down next to Auzrial. “It’ll take a few days before I’ll be back because I need to explore the castle first. I need to know the fastest way in and out and how I can get there without being noticed.” Auzrial nods her head comprehensively. “Where do you want to meet up next?” He asks. 

Auzrial shrugs and throws a grape in her mouth. “Depends if you want to meet up in Auridon, or perhaps somewhere around the Imperial City?” 

“I think it might be better to stay out of Auridon for a while, because you know...” Teflon grabs an apple and chuckles softly. “They’re still looking for me.” 

The Princess searches her map in order to find somewhere safe for them to meet. “What about Gold Coast?” She asks and throws another grape in her mouth.  

Teflon’s face lights up. “Gold Coast! It’s been a long time since I last went there. Let’s go to Anvil.” 

“Alright.” Auzrial smiles. 

“One thing.” The Khajiit says. “There’ll be a lot of Dark Brotherhood activity.” 

Auzrial reaches for her bag and grabs the coin out of it that Teflon gave her. She holds it up so he can look at it. “Still got it.” 

“I know you will be more than able to deal with these guys, but still, I want you to be careful.” He replies. Then he gets on his feet and puts some more fruit in his bag for his journey to the Imperial City. “It’s time for me to go.” Teflon’s about to leave, but he stops in his tracks for a moment.  

Auzrial doesn’t really mind him for she’s looking at her map, so she doesn’t see the mischievous grin on Teflon’s face. Then the Khajiit looks at the door, to make sure there is a clear path for when he has to run for his life.  

Teflon takes a deep breath and in one quick motion he gives Auzrial a kiss on her cheek. Then he jumps over the bed and in a blink, he stands in the doorway. Auzrial freezes for a second, but then she turns to him with wide eyes. Teflon salutes with the brightest smile she has ever seen and leaves.  

The Imperial brings her hand to the cheek Teflon kissed, her face grows scarlet as she still feels the touch of his lips lingering on her cheek. There is a small smile on her face as she turns her attention back to the map in front of her... 

... 

A few days have passed as Teflon arrives in the empty streets of Anvil. The sun is getting low, and a soft breeze wafts through the clearing as he walks around a bit until he walks up to a Redguard to ask if he might have seen Auzrial. “Small grumpy Imperial, able to kill you with just one look. About this high?”  

The Redguard man crosses his arms and looks at him with a bored expression. “I might have seen her. I might have not seen her.” He looks down at Teflon’s bag of gold and then back at him. “For a small price I can tell you what you need to know.” Reluctantly, Teflon gives him a few coins. The Redguard smiles. “I saw her when she arrived, but someone was waiting for her. A lady High Elf.” Then he looks at him like ‘sheesh’. “The Elf wasn’t very pleased to see your girlfriend.” 

“Do you know where they are now?” Teflon asks. He is worried, and even though he doesn’t want to show it, the hint in his voice gave it away. The Redguard notices it and now he knows how desperate the Khajiit in front of him might be for the answers he seeks. That’s why he’s trying his luck. “Maybe for a bit more gold—”  

Teflon Don grabs the man by his collar and pushes him against the wall angrily. “I don’t have time for your little games, milksop.” He hisses through gritted teeth. Right at this moment he wishes he had had a contract so he would have an excuse to kill the Redguard right where he’s standing. But luckily for him, the Brotherhood doesn’t work that way. “Where are they now?” Teflon asks again. 

“I— I don’t know man.” The Redguard stammers. “I only saw them a—at the docks.” Teflon sees a guard approaching so he lets go of him, pushing him against the wall with great pressure. Teflon scowls and walks into the shadows. Somewhere around a market he dresses up as a vendor to blend in.  

At the other side of the market, he sees another Redguard holding some ice to his face. “Curse that blasted High Elf!” He says angrily. Teflon frowns deeply, perking his ears as he moves closer to overhear the conversation.  

“What happened?” Someone else asks him. “She was roughly handling an Imperial lady and I was trying to help her but that Elf punched me in the face, threatening she would arrest me if I didn’t leave them alone.” 

Teflon walks up to him. “If you know where they went, I can send a guard after her.” 

“Hah! Thank you.” The man replies. “They went that way.” He says next and points east. Teflon Don rushes to the direction the Redguard pointed to and then suddenly he sees Astanya pulling Auzrial by her elbow. His eyes widen when he sees blood running down Auzrial’s face from her eyebrow all the way down to her chin. The High Elf’s eyes flare as she looks at the Imperial. “Make a sound and I swear to Auri-El you will never see the light of day again.” 

Then they approach a deserted place. Astanya pushes Auzrial forwards so hard that she falls to the ground. The noble looks up angrily. “Hey!” As a mercenary she’s been in several dangerous situations before and she doesn’t get scared easily. But the look in the Captain’s eyes sends a shiver down Auzrial’s spine. For a moment, things are looking really bad for the Princess, and she knows that. But then she sees the tip of a tail disappearing in the shadows. Her expression changes into relief for only a brief moment. She knows she doesn’t have to face Astanya alone now. 

Auzrial frowns deeply. “What do you want?” 

“After you left Phaer, I went to ask its people again if they really didn’t see my prisoner.” Captain Astanya says and she crosses her arms. “Do you know what they told me?” Auzrial shakes her head. “They  _did_ see him.” Astanya continues, she narrows her eyes. “With  _you_.” 

Auzrial gets back on her feet and dusts off her armor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  

“Don’t lie to me!” Astanya snaps back and moves her hand to grab her iron shackles. Teflon’s eyes widen. He hurries from the shadows and uses the back of his axe to slam it against Captain Astanya’s head. The High Elf drops to the ground.  

Teflon Don looks at Auzrial with concern. “Are you alright, Princess?” He tips her chin so he can take a closer look at the cut on her eyebrow, the blood is drying up slowly and it looks like it’s nothing too serious.  

Auzrial is shaking a bit from the recent event, but after a moment of silence she speaks up. “Teflon.” She says softly. “Do you have any idea what you have done? I was the last person she saw, now we can be sure she will hunt me down as well.” 

“She knows you helped me.” Teflon replies. “She would have come after you all the same.” Then he grabs Astanya’s shackles and binds her hands together behind her back. Auzrial watches how he pulls the Captain towards a tree to leave her there for someone to find her.  

“Hey, uhm, thank you. For helping me, I mean.” Auzrial says. 

Teflon puffs as he puts down Astanya, he turns to look at the Princess and grins. “Do you really think I would let you get in trouble without me?”  

Auzrial tries to hide a smile, but then her eyes fall on the Captain who’s lying unconsciously against the tree. Teflon can see a glint of concern in her eyes, he takes hold of her hand. “Don’t worry about her, she’ll only have a serious head ache when she wakes up. But for now, we need to disappear before someone finds her. We need to stay in the shadow now more than ever.”  

The Imperial’s eyes shift from Teflon to Astanya again. She looks on ruefully, but Teflon presses her hand. And when she looks up at him again, he looks at her with determination. “We will be alright, Princess. I promise. But we need to leave, right now.” And after that is said, Teflon leads her around, they move stealthily around the city and then they approach a grid. 

Teflon Don opens it up and pushes Auzrial inside. When he enters the place as well, he smiles. “Welcome in the Thieves Den.”  

Auzrial looks around with fascination written all over her face. “Wow.” She smiles, but that smile disappears as quickly as it came when she sees that people are looking at her with disapproval. She leans closer to Teflon and lowers her voice. “It appears people aren’t so pleased to see me here.” 

“That’s their problem.” Teflon replies simply. “But you don’t have to worry as long I’m around.” Then he steps from behind her and when the people see him, the looks of disapproval disappear quickly. Auzrial doesn’t feel at ease so that’s why she stays as close as possible to Teflon’s side. “Let’s get you another suit of armor.” The Khajiit says. 

The Princess looks up at him, pouting. “But I like my armor!” 

“When we need to be fast and sneaky, we don’t want your armor to make that clanging noise, do we?” Teflon replies and knocks on her armor. “Besides, you need to be unrecognizable. Guards will be looking for us.”  

Auzrial nods, but she’s still pouting. “You’re right. So, do you have anything in mind?” Teflon motions her to follow him. They walk to a vendor, and when he sees him, he nods at the Khajiit. The vendor shows her his collection of Leather medium armor with the black handprint of the Dark Brotherhood on it.  

Auzrial’s eyes widen, her gleaming smile lights up the room. And Teflon’s heart as well. The Imperial examines the collection of armors thoughtfully until her eyes fall on one that looks exactly like the armor of Teflon. Only, her armor is black with marine blue instead of black with dark red.  

Teflon laughs softly when he sees Auzrial’s eager expression when she runs behind a curtain. There is some clanging of metal when she pulls off her armor and in no time, she walks from behind the curtain again. Auzrial heads straight for a mirror, she gasps when she sees how well the armor suits her.  

Auzrial turns around to look at her armor from every angle. This armor really accentuates her curves, though. Then she turns around towards Teflon and pulls on her hood dramatically. She looks at him with a mysterious look on her face as she shows him her best impression of himself. Teflon chuckles softly and shakes his head with a smile. 

When Auzrial can’t keep a straight face anymore, she asks what he thinks of it. She turns around for him. “You look amazing.” He replies. Auzrial notices how his eyes linger on her, and when she clears her throat, Teflon snaps out of it and looks away quickly. “I, uhm... I’m go-going to pay the vendor.” Teflon stammers as he blushes deeply. He turns around to leave, but he stumbles over a pair of boots. He recovers quickly and blushes even more when he hears Auzrial giggling. 


End file.
